Marks Gray Attorneys, Gerald Weedon, LCDR Stella Lane

June has been a very active month for the Florida Employer Support of the Guard & Reserve (FL ESGR) in Jacksonville, FL – Area 4. The mayor of the City of Jacksonville, John Peyton, proclaimed his cities’ support of FL ESGR, the Guard & Reservists and their Families and the Employers who support them during a Proclamation signing ceremony at City Hall on June 8, 2010. In attendance were military dignitaries, 17 local companies receiving the Patriotic Award, 11 of the nominating service members and several of the FL ESGR Committee members.

In his keynote address, Mayor John Peyton stated “Jacksonville prides itself on being the most military-friendly city in the United States!  And part of that responsibility is supporting all military personnel and their families in any way possible. I feel, supporting these service members is so important, because they are vital to our military and to our national defense operations. ESGR has been fostering good relationships between employers and their Guard and Reserve staff since 1972. And, I commend this segment of the Department of Defense for providing such an important service to our nation. Therefore, on behalf of the grateful citizens throughout Jacksonville, I’d like to present this proclamation for Division Chief Bob Buehn, Director of Military Affairs for the City of Jacksonville, to disseminate to our local Guard and Reserve support centers, as well as, these  area companies receiving their much deserved Patriotic Award today.”

In attendance from the Military Support Centers in Jacksonville were: CPT Robert McKenna, Command Officer of the Navy Operations Support Center (NOSC);  MC Robert Donnellon of the Navy Operations Support Center (NOSC) and CDR Robert Branyon, Commander of the 125^th Fighter Wing, FANG.

Brigadier General Joseph K. Martin, Jr., the Chief of Staff, Florida Air National Guard, Saint Augustine, Florida expressed his appreciation for the City of Jacksonville’s support of the Guard & Reserve. He emphasized the importance of our community effort for over 48% of service members deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan are members of the Guard and Reserves.  Many of them are on their 2^nd or 3^rd tours.

COL (Ret) Phil Speake, State Chairman of Florida ESGR, brought  greetings on behalf of the Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, Dennis McCarthy; our National Chair James Rebholz.  COL Speake thanked Mayor Peyton for his proclamation in support of FL ESGR and reiterated the importance of the employers & the community’s support of the Families & Service Members who serve in the Guard & Reserve.  He commended the 17 companies receiving the Patriotic Award and their 11 employees/service members, in attendance who nominated these employers for this award.

CPT Justin Leslie gave a moving narrative of his manager Chris Cornelius’s support and the entire team’s support at Schindler Elevators. CPT Leslie recently returned from his third deployment to Afghanistan with the ARNG and was awarded the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Combat Action Badge and the Georgia Commendation Medal. His last assignment was to lead US Engineer Regional Command North Afghanistan Task Force Warrior.

CDR (Ret) Garfield Jones, Florida Region 4 Chairman/Ombudsman presented the Patriotic Award to the following employers:

Sheriff John Rutherford, City of Jacksonville, nominated by his service member/employee Sergeant First Class Nancy Life;
Pedro Rosales of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida and his service member/employee LCDR Ronnie A. Garcia;  Gerald Weedon of Marks Gray Attorneys and his service member/employee LCDR Stella Lane;  Dan Hennessy of PHH Mortgage nominated by E5 Brigette Brice;  Leon Harrigan of Hyatt Regency Jacksonville and his service member/employee Sgt Glenn Mendoza;  Sue Lang of Aetna, nominated by E4 Sergio C. Vieravelasco;   Joseph P. Smid of Warjon, Inc., nominated by Staff

Sergeant Ryan D. Waldron;  Scott Newolet President of Sanford Brown Institute and his service member/employee SGT Scott Hoffman;  Allene McIntosh of the City of Jacksonville of Environmental & Compliance and her service member/employee CDR Brian Kelley;   Marc Hardesty of Hardesty, Tyde, Green & Ashton, attorneys and his service member/employee CPT Charles D. Sykes;  Dr. Natalie D. Hashey of First Coast Family Medicine and her husband, service member & nominator MAJ Terry D. Hashey;  Chris Cornelius of Schindler elevators and his service member/employee CPT Justin Leslie;  Jeremy Drang of American Equity Mortgage, nominated by TSgt Michael R. Decker;  John Hurst of AT&T Communications and his service member/employee SSG James Jobes;  Barbara Moore of Lennar Homes, LLC and her service member/employee 2LT Zenzi Rogers;  Eddie Howard of The Lodge & Club at Ponte Vedra and his service member/employee E6 Dennis E. Young.  Hester Taylor Clark of the Hester Group nominated by her service member/employee CPT Anthony MCGone.

The additional Florida Employer Support of the Guard & Reserve (FL ESGR) committee members in attendance were SGM (Ret) Douglas Corbett, Executive Director FL ESGR and Penny Justice, Florida Region 4 Assistant Chair & State Deputy for Training.

MEDIA ADVISORY

Florida Employers Honored by Department of Defense for Extraordinary Support of Employees Serving in the National Guard and Reserve

Fort Lauderdale, FL – The Florida Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense agency, honored 9 employers from the tri-county area at a luncheon on Tuesday, April 27 hosted by Broward Health. These awards were presented in recognition of extraordinary support from employers who went above and beyond from their employees who currently serve in the Florida National Guard and Reserve.

ESGR is a Department of Defense agency established in 1972. The mission of ESGR is to gain and maintain employer support for Guard and Reserve service by recognizing outstanding support, increasing awareness of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), and resolving conflicts through mediation. ESGR volunteers provide free education, consultation, and if necessary mediation for employers of Guard and Reserve employees. More information about ESGR can be found at www.esgr.mil.

According to Phillip Speake, the ESGR Florida Chair, “These Awards are created by ESGR to publicly recognize individuals who provide outstanding patriotic support and cooperation to their employees, who like the citizen warriors before them, have answered their nation’s call to serve.” In attendance as the guest speaker was Brigadier General Michael Fleming – Assistant Adjutant General, Florida Army National Guard.

The following list of award recipients were recognized for being highly supportive of their reserve component employees.  These supportive supervisors are critical to maintaining the strength and readiness of the nation’s National Guard and Reserve units.

Broward Sherriff’s Office

Broward Health

CB Richard Ellis

First Presbyterian Church of Fort Lauderdale

Kaplan University

Paladin Academy

Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office

Publix SuperMarkets

Software House

As the 1.3 million members of the National Guard and Reserve continue to perform an increasing number of unique missions with America’s borders and beyond, ESGR will continue to be the resource for the employers of citizen warriors.  More information about ESGR Employer Outreach Programs and volunteer opportunities is available at www.esgr.mil, or by calling Maureen Esposito 954.933.6823.

Michael Mills, Nicole ( Manager) , Ernie Renella

Marriott Reservations Center in Doral, FL was presented a Patriot Award. The award                      was presented to the General Manager,               Nicole by Area 15 Chair, Michael Mills and Ernie Renella.

Doug Corbett, FLESGR Executive Director , Dr. Pryor, Principal Matanzas High School

Doug Corbett, FLESGR Executive Director, presented Dr. Pryor, Principal, Matanzas High School from SPC Brown  a Patriot Award.  The award was presented in April in front of the Flagler County Board of Education.

Left to Right: Maria Anderson, Ralph Cabrera, Don Slesnick, William Kerdyk, Jr., Wayne Withers

City of Coral Gables, Florida Passes Resolution In Support of Guard and Reserve Members and their Families.

Through Mayor Slesnick’s leadership and the full support of the City Commissioners, Coral Gables passes Resolution 2009-228 endorsing Employer Support of the National Guard and Reserves, in furtherance of our Country’s Service Members and their Families during a time of need.

Click here to download the full Resolution as a PDF file.

Mayor Marks and Tallahassee City Commissioners receive ESGR Statement of Support. From left to right are: Petty Officer VonStein Coast Guard; Petty Officer Terhune, Navy; Commissioner Mark Mustian; Mayor Marks; Phillip Speake; Commissioner Debbie Lightsey and Commissioner Gil Ziffer.

On October 7, 2009, the city of Tallahassee, led by Tallahassee Mayor John Marks, III, who is also the Florida League of Cities President, was presented the signed Statement of Support for the National Guard and Reserve at its regular commission meeting by Phillip Speake, Chairman, Florida ESGR Committee. Mayor Marks in his opening remarks spelled out the importance of supporting these dedicated Men and Women serving in the Guard and Reserves.

The Mayor reflected on his military career by saying, “I’m a military veteran. I served in the (United States) Air Force for four years during the Vietnam War,” Marks said. “Every time something like this comes up, it gives me chills because I remember what it’s like to serve.” He honored the City employees serving in the Guard and Reserves by reading the names of those currently mobilized and honored two Service Members Petty Officer Terhune and LT VonStein (Navy and Coast Guard) in attendance during this ceremony.

Mayor Marks, acknowledged the commitment and sacrifices the Reserve Forces and their Families make on behalf of this Great Nation and said “as employers it is essential we support the men and women who support us by ensuring that these individuals are not adversely affected in their job or work place because of that commitment. It makes sense and it is just good business.”